Summer time!

This was what we saw from one of the fires from our backyard.

Hooray for stripes!

This is Gabe posing for a picture. He had pulled up his pants and then was helping the kids with play doh! Every time I see this picture I laugh pretty hard...his butt looks huge!

The kids love swimming! Even in our little pool out back.  They will stay out there for at least on hour most times and just have the best time.  I keep hoping I will get brave enough to take them to the West Jordan pool, but I just can't see myself doing it. Maybe next summer!:)  It has been amazingly hot this year for Utah and VERY dry. I think that Utah has had something like 19 fires in the past 2 months. 2 of them were located very close to us. The temperature has been above 95 degrees most days and it has rained a total of one day in the past 2 months. This on top of the below normal snowfall we had in the winter has given us a very scary summer with all these fires so close to home especially.  I think it snowed 3 maybe 4 times this past winter.  Crazy stuff!  Anyways, so the only way the kids want to go outside is if there is some type of water to play in. 
Gabe had also been staying with us from Wednesday June 27th until just yesterday.  It is always fun to have him here. He is a funny and awkward guy! The kids all love to play with and pick on Uncle Gabe. But no one loves him more than Parker! Parker always wants Gabe no matter who else is in the room. Maybe it's because Gabe chose Parker's name for him? Who knows! What I do know is that I love having Parker like someone a little more than me, because that means I get a little break! Good prep for Gabe for when him and Molly have kids! :)  Gabe left yesterday to head to Boise, Idaho for a job for the next month until him and Molly get married!! He can apparently make some pretty good money out there, so it works out great.  We have had a very full month in June and July doesn't seem to be calming down much. In the past 2 months I have been to the hospital with one of the kids a total of 3 times...that is a lot! I am praying we are all done with tonsils, tubes and teeth.  We shall see! Now I am trying to prepare myself and my house for all of our house guests that will be coming for Gabe and Molly's wedding on the 10th.  When it rains, it pours! But I have loved having all of these guests here to help entertain my children and me!:)  We also had Molly (Gabe's AMAZING fiance) stay with us for a few days during the Fourth of July week. It is always fun to see those 2 love birds together. They are just the cutest couple! Speaking of Molly, so I think I screwed up my back at Girl's Camp somehow and over the past month it had gotten progressively worse until I couldn't even turn my neck or move any muscles on the top half of my body without wincing in pain. So on Tuesday Molly was sweet enough to work on my back for me. Then on Wednesday I woke up and could not move without extreme pain.  That put a damper on our 4th of July. I didn't get out of bed until about 4:00 that afternoon.  After a few more days of pain, my pain has FINALLY gotten down to a mild pain. I also went to the doctor on Thursday and got some muscle relaxers and strong ibuprofen. Those have been very helpful as well. I hate being handicapped.  I just felt so useless. I don't like not doing things the way I want them and not having control.  No fun for anyone! Anyways other than that. This months is off to a good start!:)